Now, Maravich was a scorer, but to the casual fan, he’s best known for his circus passes. He would speed down the court, his long hair flapping, before he whisked some acrobatic pass that lit up the grainy footage. That’s how Rubio does it, and he entered the weekend averaging 7.2 assists, along with 8.9 points for the Timberwolves.

“I actually think Rubio’s a better passer (than Maravich),” said Nuggets coach George Karl, who played against Maravich. “I think Pistol Pete was a flamboyant passer but more of a scorer, where I see Rubio as a true point guard, a true playmaker.

“His length, his flash, there’s no question that there are situations that he actually looks like him on film. He’s got that long gait, and then the ability to handle the ball at a high efficiency level and also a high dribbling level, that’s more Pistol Pete than anybody I’ve seen.”

I’ve written before that Rubio is perhaps my favorite NBA player to watch, because of the aura of the prodigy (playing in the Olympics at age 17) and his passes that find holes in the defense that are hard to spot even on film the next day.

Right now, though, he’s just an average NBA point guard starting on an injured team suited more for a TNT medical drama than a TNT game on Thursday.

But let’s not forget — Rubio is only 22. He has played only 75 games in his NBA career, having had surgery on his left knee. And he has often had to play this season without big-time scorer Kevin Love, who himself is oft-injured.

“Organizations are probably frustrated with the injuries. Coaching staffs are probably frustrated with not winning,” Karl said, “but sometimes injuries can be a blessing because you can grow up without the stress of winning. Getting on the court and having repetition.

“He basically hasn’t even had a whole NBA season yet, and the more you play, the better you get.”

So perhaps this isn’t a lost season for the Spaniard. But even though his passing resembles Maravich’s, his overall game is lacking. But talk to me in three years.

No M-V-P!? So this guy has an idea. Because the MVP is so subjective — Is it the best player on the best team? Is it truly about a guy being valuable? — CBSSports.com writer Matt Moore suggested the league get rid of the MVP and give out three major awards: offensive player of the year, defensive player of the year (giving this award more clout) and, finally, a most-impact player award. Sometimes, a guy might win the trifecta.

“The goal with my idea,” the Denver-based Moore wrote, “is not to develop a system that answers the question ‘Who is the most valuable player in the NBA?’ to the end of eliminating debate. That’s boring. The objective is to give voters a better guideline to adequately assess who the truly best players are in the league during a given season, and provide marks of greatness for the real elements that go into assessing a player.

“Let’s stop pretending that defense is the paltry element that doesn’t really mean anything, when coaches rail on it and everyone loves to say ‘Defense wins championships.’ Let’s stop treating individual, high-volume offense with disdain because we can’t see the effect it carries on wins. Let’s leave open the ability for voters to reward having that special ‘it’ quality.”

Remember this guy? It was a sad sight Friday when the video of former Nugget Renaldo Balkman went viral.

Balkman is playing in the Philippines, and the self-proclaimed “Kool” lost it. After a noncall, he argued and bumped an official. Balkman then again made contact with the official, shoved aside a teammate trying to separate the two and then pushed away yet another teammate.

This guy, team captain Arwind Santos, pushed back, and that’s when Balkman put his hands to the fellow’s neck.

Renaldo apologized on Twitter, but the fact is, this will stay with him forever.

The whole Balkman saga is a shame. He made a name for himself in college with his hustle and intangibles, and then, once he got paid in the NBA, he lost his focus, didn’t learn the plays and basically just got in the way. It’s a shame, because players such as Balkman — at his best — have a place in this league. One wonders if he will ever be back.

Our old buddy was in the national spotlight Thursday, scoring 36 points on 14-for-29 shooting in a marquee TNT game against Oklahoma City after going scoreless in the first quarter. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that’s the highest point total for any NBA player this season in a regulation-length game in which he didn’t score during the opening quarter.

Alas, Smith missed the final shot of the game, a turnaround jumper that would have won it. The Knicks played without the injured Carmelo Anthony.

“Whenever Melo’s out, it’s a close game, (coach Mike Woodson) always gives me the ball,” Smith told the New York Post “He gives me the leeway to do what I think is right. It shows the confidence he has in me as well as my teammates.

“One through 15, everyone was expecting me to make it. It didn’t work.”

The 36-point effort was impressive, but it reminded us that it takes many shots for the streaky Smith to put up a big number. He did have a good February, shooting 43 percent from the field. But in December he shot 39.5 percent. January was 36.6. Now, in March, he entered the weekend at 37.4.

Along with Melo and Kenyon Martin, Smith will make his return to Denver on Wednesday with the Knicks.

Benjamin Hochman was a sports columnist for The Denver Post until August 2015 before leaving for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, his hometown newspaper. Hochman previously worked for the New Orleans Times-Picayune, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes for its Hurricane Katrina coverage. Hochman wrote the Katrina-themed book “Fourth and New Orleans,” published in 2007.